For those who can no longer cope
My Pan-American journey – and a fundraising campaign for ME/CFS research
Travelling around the world by bicycle means freedom. It means chasing the horizon, experiencing nature intensely, finding your own rhythm. But it also means extremes. Like here – in the middle of the desert in the west of America. 45 degrees in the shade, your body overheating, your head empty, every thought an effort.
When I have to take an eight-hour siesta in moments like these because my body simply can’t go on, it’s an exceptional situation – for me. But for many people, this situation is everyday life. A permanent state. A reality of life. Like for my good friend. Since the coronavirus pandemic, she has been suffering from ME/CFS – a severe neuroimmunological disease that often occurs after viral infections and confines many sufferers to their beds.
What I experience in the desert for a few hours – complete exhaustion, heat in my head, the feeling of being trapped in my own body – is her everyday reality. With no prospect of things getting better tomorrow. No break. No ‘moving on’.
What is ME/CFS?
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex and severely debilitating condition. In Germany alone, over 500,000 people are affected, with millions more worldwide – often following infections such as COVID-19.
The symptoms are intense:
Deep physical and mental exhaustion
Pain, sensitivity to stimuli, sleep disorders
- Circulatory problems, cognitive impairments
- And above all: post-exertional malaise – a worsening of symptoms after any physical or mental exertion.
And yet:
The disease is still hardly researched, often not taken seriously by the medical profession, and largely ignored by politicians.
That's why I cycle – for those who can no longer do so.
My journey continues.
But my heart remains with those who are trapped within their own four walls.
And that is precisely why I want to use my journey to raise awareness – and collect donations.
With this campaign, I am supporting the ME/CFS Research Foundation, which is committed to research, education and better care.
👉 [You can donate directly here later on.]
Whether it’s 5€ or 50€ – every amount helps to make the invisible visible.
So that people with ME/CFS are finally seen. And one day can go out into the world again.
Thank you for following me on my journey.
And thank you for standing up for those who can’t do it themselves right now.
Cheers,
Florian